


so gentle and sweet is the rose that you may forget her thorns

by Tatsumaki_sama



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Crush at First Sight, Dancing, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Female Harry Potter, First Crush, Friendship, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, Light Angst, Meeting the Parents, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Protective Hermione Granger, Protective Ron Weasley, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Shyness, Triwizard Tournament, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29536533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: Viktor and snatches of moments of him and Harriet Potter before, during and after the Triwizard Tournament. Always-a-female!Harry Potter
Relationships: Viktor Krum/Harry Potter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 200





	so gentle and sweet is the rose that you may forget her thorns

**Author's Note:**

> I was randomly re-reading Goblet of Fire and I was suddenly hit with Viktor Krum feels. He always deserved better and he is such a cinnamon roll that it was a shame we didn't see more of him in the books. The idea of Fem!Harry and Viktor asking her to the Yule Ball instead has been sitting in the back burner for years and I never got to finish it until now. I decided to mix both the book and film a bit just for the fun of it. Viktor asking Harri to the Yule Ball was inspired by a deleted scene from Goblet of Fire where a Durmstrang student asked a Ravenclaw girl. I added Remus and Sirius to the family meeting with the champions because why not?

The Slytherin students whom he sat next to for meals were quick to tell Viktor how much of a glory hound and conceited rule breaker Harriet Potter was.

It seemed that the rest of the school, including the Beauxbatons students, were against the youngest Champion, believing her to have found a way to sneak her name into the Goblet of Fire, breaking the rules as she always did.

Perhaps if Viktor had not caught glimpses of her in their very brief interactions, he might have been inclined to agree with these rumors.

Harriet Potter had politely waited for them to pass through the Hall first during their arrival to Hogwarts and Karkaroff was about to walk passed her without another thought until he saw her scar.

Some of his classmates had begun to murmur in wonder. His fellow classmate Poliakoff even pointed at her forehead, like she was some amusing spectacle.

After all, who had not heard of the famed Girl Who Lived?

He knew the stories. A girl, barely out of infancy, who was famous for vanquishing the second coming of a wizard who was far too much like Grindleward.

Viktor never met his grandfather but his father never spoke kindly of Grindleward and he always had a hard look on his face every time He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was mentioned, remembering what Grindleward had done to his family and what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had also done to several other families.

But the Girl Who Lived said nothing and did nothing, simply continuing to wait for them to leave the hall, only to shift uncomfortably when more people gathered behind her and the Durmstrang students did not move.

If the rumors were true, Harriet Potter would not have let them go first and she would have strolled passed them with a sneer, as he had seen before many many times in other people.

If the rumors were true, Harriet Potter would not have looked so terrified and confused and lost when her name was drawn and looking like she wished for nothing more than to run away from the responsibility of it all.

If the rumors were true, Harriet Potter would not have hurried down the hallways, frown set in her mouth and head ducked, making herself tiny and unnoticed, as if it would be enough to ward off the unpleasant whispers and hostile glares that haunted her steps.

Viktor himself was well aware of what it was like to be loved and hated simultaneously, being suffocated from all sides with unwanted attention, poking and prodding at their privacy until nothing was left hidden, the adoration and condemnation switching so easily and quickly that it made him ill.

So Viktor chose to firmly change the topic whenever the Slytherins wanted to jeer and mock her. He even told off some of his Durmstrang classmates when they gossiped about her, making fun of her knobby knees and wild runaway brown hair and how ill-fitting of a champion she was.

It was the least he could do for her, this stranger who was more alike to him than he first thought.

~.~.~

“ Great Scott, she can fly! Are you watching this, Mr Krum?”

His first thought was that the youngest champion was brilliant for thinking of summoning a broom to assist her against a dragon and why did he not think of that at all?

His second thought was that she was an amazing flyer and she could easily gain a spot on a professional Quidditch team if she had the heart for it.

And his third and final thought was that perhaps he might have fallen in love a little bit with Harriet Potter.

~.~.~

After countless hours of trying to figure out how to approach Harriet Potter for the unexpected task of asking her to be his date for the Yule Ball, (he was grateful that he finally decided to send a frantic, almost desperate, owl to his mother who kindly offered her advice), Viktor spent several more fruitless days trying to actually approach her.

After the first task, Harriet Potter's popularity returned anew and now the whispers were more friendly. Several boys, once scrutinizing her with hostility, now eyed her with appreciation and admiration, some brave enough to boldly ask her to go with them to the Yule Ball if she was in-between classes or studying in the library.

They were soon chased off by her bushy-haired friend – he caught her name a few times which sounded vaguely like Hermy-own – for making Harriet Potter late for class or bothering her while she was doing schoolwork.

Viktor was suitably impressed with Hermy-own and her fierce protectiveness for her friend especially with how the students had treated Harriet Potter just a few weeks ago.

While he was grateful that the rest of the competition was being whittled down, it had the unfortunate side effect of terrifying Viktor of Hermy-own in his own attempts to speak with Harriet Potter while she was hovering nearby. And considering Hermy-own was almost always around her friend, it seemed his opportunities to ask Harriet Potter were dwindling away.

Things eventually came to head when his mother sent him an owl asking what color was the dress of his date so she could send matching pins for both of them. With a heavy heart, Viktor headed to the Hogwarts owlery to make excuses and explain he did not have a date.

Only to run into Harriet Potter there.

For a moment, they stared at each other, equally wide-eyed and stunned.

“ Oh! You're – ”

“ I vas not expecting – ”

Only to lapse back into silence as their hasty words jumbled and garbled into one another. Viktor was finding the barn owl just over Harriet Potter's shoulder very fascinating. Likewise, she was busy with fiddling a piece of parchment in her hands.

“ I was writing to my – to my uncle,” she said, like she had to explain why she was here so early in the morning.

“ Me too. For mother.” Likewise, he held out a letter like it was proof , now somewhat crumpled in his grip.

When neither of them were able to offer further explanation, the stifling quiet loomed between them. Finally –

“ You fly vell,” Viktor blurted out. “ I vatched first task. You very good.”

Harriet Potter's eyes lit up and she grinned. “ Thanks. I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup this summer. You were brilliant.”

She began talking about the Wronski Feint and how she wanted to try it herself. Viktor faintly heard her asking him if he could teach her how to pull it off because she loved flying and not being on a broom to play Quidditch the last few months has made her a bit crazy. Though flying against a Hungarian Horntail, as insane as it was, somewhat alleviated that restlessness, she added wryly.

Harriet Potter never once asked for his autograph.

She never spoke to him with starstruck awe, like he was on a pedestal and that he was too good or intimidating to be around with.

She talked to him like he was a normal ordinary human.

Because she knew all too well what it was like to be treated like a celebrity and be isolated because of it.

This was his chance now, the opening Viktor had been dreaming for.

_You should be a gentleman when you approach her_ , his mother's earnest letter reminded him. _Bow to her and then take her hand. Ask with sincerity. Regardless if she accepts or not, treat her kindly and with respect_

_I am certain she will accept_ , his father's amused scrawl followed after his mother's. _It has after all worked for me_

Treating this as nothing more than the churning trepidation just before a match in a Quidditch World Cup, Viktor bowed low and quick and then stepped forward until the distance between them was almost non-existent and his course rough hands took her hand with the uttermost gentleness.

A soft gasp escaped from Harriet Potter's lips.

“ Vill you do me honor of taking to dance?” Viktor managed to force the words out from his twisting tongue, hoping his English was good enough to get the point across.

He suddenly realized how small her hands were in his and how he easily towered over her. She was only fourteen and even though it was a three year difference, he was feeling his age very much. She must be terrified that someone like him was intruding into her space and cornering her alone like this.

Viktor was about to hastily apologize and let go of her hand and run out of the owlery before he could make a further fool of himself when –

“ Yeah, sure, why not?”

He froze.

Harriet Potter looked at him, looking nervous and possibly a bit surprised at her own words but pleased.

Merlin, she was happy to go with him.

He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had seen as Viktor lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

~.~.~

If Viktor had thought Harriet looked beautiful at the owlery, he was completely awe-struck when she walked down the stairs to meet him at the entrance hall.

She wore a lovely red dress that complimented her eyes well. Her hair was no longer messy and sticking up from all sides but sleek and wavy, tied up to the back of her head. The gold flower pin his mother had mailed them was neatly clasped at the side of her head, its matching pair already fastened on his dress robe lapel.

“ Hello,” Harriet shyly said.

“ Hello,” he replied, smiling. He held out his arm for her and she smiled back at him as she took it and they walked into the hall together.

Hermy-own, looking pretty in a periwinkle-blue dress and silken hair flowing down her back, clapped loudly. A red-haired boy with freckles standing next to her stared at them, looking both amazed and wary. Viktor caught him hissing, “ Hermione! You never said Harri's date was Krum! You don't think he is up to something – ” but he already passed them by to hear the rest of his sentence.

Viktor also caught some of his Durmstrang classmates in the crowd cheering and hooting. Headmaster Dumbledore could be seen beaming from the top table and the giant Hogwarts gamekeeper was giving a thumbs up for Harriet.

But there were some who were not looking favourably upon them. Several girls threw Harriet a look of deepest loathing. Others gaped and pointed in disbelief. The Slytherin boy Malfoy looked outraged and his date Parkinson was sneering but unable to find any insult to say. Karkaroff wore a dark expression as the music started and they began to dance.

“ Sorry about this,” Harriet muttered.

“ For vhat?”

She made a vague gesture to the crowd, though it was a bit hard because their hands were intertwined at the moment. “ Them. All the stares and the mean things they will say.”

“ I used to. Bad words no effect on me. You? Vill bad words effect?”

“ I got used to most of the school hating me earlier this year,” she said with a shrug. “ And in my second year too.”

“ Second year, vhat happened?”

“ I apparently set a giant snake loose to attack the school.”

Viktor snorted, not entirely sure if she was telling the truth, because he could hardly imagine Harriet doing something like that.

She cheekily arched an eyebrow. “ See? I'm a danger to society.”

“ No more danger than Quidditch.”

Viktor gave her an extravagant twirl that made her dress and hair glide effortlessly through the air.

Harriet was grinning. “ And you said you couldn't dance.”

“ No lie. I practice many days.”

She sighed.

“ Wish I did. I'll probably step on your toes all evening.”

To prove her point, she accidentally stepped on his foot.

Even as she stammered a flustered apology, he waved it aside.

“ Then no feet on ground.”

Viktor picked her up, spinning her around in tune with the music, causing her to giggle.

From over Harriet's head, Karkaroff's frown was deepening. Many girls looked revolted.

But what they thought of Harriet or of him, it didn't matter.

Because this was a night to remember.

~.~.~

At the bottom of the lake, Viktor was simultaneously impressed by Harri's – _“ My friends call me Harri,” she had shyly told him_ – compassion for the hostages and exasperated by her insistence to stay behind.

Harri had implored for Viktor to take Hermy-own, her voice strangely warped and wavering in the water. She then pointed to the red-haired boy and a little girl with silvery hair, both floating, sleeping and pale, and then gestured to the vast emptiness of the lake and the little girl again, indicating she wanted to wait for Fleur Delacour to arrive.

It was unfortunate for Viktor that sharks weren't able to talk because he wanted to tell her that there were safety precautions in place and that none of the hostages were in any actual danger and the time limit for the magic keeping them underwater was running out. All gestures he tried to make to explain to her was not understood.

Privately, he had been relieved to see her sprinting to the judges' table to join them before the task started, that she was not the one taken. But at the same time, dread filled his stomach because did it mean the judges had something else in store for him?

The murky cold waters did not prevent him from feeling the heat of Harri's glare and her jabbing him towards Hermy-own's direction, even if she barely caused him to move, and so reluctantly, Viktor grabbed Hermy-own and made his way to the top.

It was just that before reaching the surface, he pushed the girl upwards and once he saw that she broke through the waters with a shuddering wakening gasp, he made his way back down to the depths.

To his horror, he saw a swarming mass of green bodies, teeth and tentacles further below amidst the long seaweed and he caught glimpses of brown hair and a familiar red swimsuit in the middle of it.

As he dove faster, Viktor barely missed colliding with the still sleeping red-haired boy and the little girl. Harriet must have shoved them upwards to get them out of danger, just as he had done with Hermy-own. He gave them his own push to make them drift faster to the top.

He could barely see Harri now and his heart began hammering and he could hardly breathe.

Was this how Harri felt when she saw her friends bound underwater, drifting asleep as if they were already dead?

Was this why she pleaded with him to take Hermy-own first so at least one friend was safe?

Was this what it felt like to have a loved one in danger?

Viktor's thoughts broke as there was a bright flash of red sparks below him, illuminating the gloom.

Grimly he made his way through towards Harri, snapping and biting at anything that came close.

The Grindylows shrieked and finally broke apart.

And he was finally able to see Harri, struggling to stay afloat, one hand clutching her neck where the gills were beginning to fold in on themselves and fade away.

Her eyes, still the brightest thing here underwater, widened as she saw him. Her mouth was moving and he couldn't hear her but he was able to make out what she was trying to say.

_Viktor?_

There was no time to reply. His Transformation spell was likewise diminishing.

He grabbed her hand and with the last of their strength, they kicked their legs hard, fighting to get back up to the light that teased them just above.

There was water filling in his mouth, making him choke. The cold gnawed at his eyes, nearly blinding him. His chest burned from the lack of oxygen. His entire body ached with effort to keep moving, to keep swimming.

He could feel Harri's fingers gripping his hand tightly and it was oddly warm and comforting that if this was where things were to end, if they weren't able to make it back in time, then at least they were –

Only for them to break the surface and beautiful, wonderful air filled his lungs again.

Somewhere beside him, he heard coughing and spluttering. “ Harri?” he said, but it came out as a hoarse gurgle. He tried squinting at her but after spending over an hour underwater, the sun's rays made everything out of focus and painful to look at.

Hands reached for them and blearily, Viktor was aware of someone prying him away from Harri.

She never did let go his hand all this time.

“ Vait! Is she – ?” he tried to say, but the crowd was roaring and Karkaroff was singing praises in his ears, even as his Durmstrang classmates swamped him in thick blankets and someone was tipping a hot potion into his mouth.

It burned down his throat, fending off the bitter cold but Viktor shrugged aside Karkaroff's hand and he managed to break free from the throng of people around him to stand up on wobbling knees and look for Harri.

There was a cluster of red and gold at the edge of the bank and he staggered over there.

“ – saved her, even though she was not your 'ostage,” Fleur Delacour was saying tearfully.

“ Yeah, I – ”

Fleur Delacour swooped down and planted a kiss on Harri's forehead before turning to thank Harri's red-haired friend.

Harri looked somewhat baffled as Hermy-own began fussing over her, wrapping another blanket around her.

The bright sun made her appear stark white against her damp dark hair. There were many scratches on her face and arms. She looked very tiny in the cocoon of blankets she was swathed in.

“ Harri.”

This time, his voice carried over and Harri turned towards him, as did her friends and several others, but Viktor was only looking at one person.

“ Oh Viktor, I'm sorry.” There was guilt in Harri's eyes. “ Because of me, we came in last.”

He shook his head so violently that water from his hair flung around. He didn't care about being first or getting points anymore. “ No, not fault.” He knelt next to her, grabbing her shoulders gently, making her look at him. Viktor was vaguely aware that there were people whispering and giggling around them. “ You save friends. All safe now. You brave. Very brave.”

Harri was looking at him, mouth slightly slack. There was a slight pink to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the Pepper-Up potion she had drank earlier.

Viktor would have liked to kiss her right then and there but he was aware they weren't alone.

Someone close by was snickering.

He felt his cheeks heat up too.

Before they could do anything else, Bagman's voice boomed over them.

“ – Merchieftainess informed us that Miss Harriet Potter was first to reach the hostages and her delay was due to her determination that they would be returned safe from any harm.”

Her two friends gave Harri exasperated yet fond looks.

“ Shark no speak,” Viktor shrugged as an explanation.

Harri shot him an annoyed look that made him grin back.

“ Likewise,” Bagman blithely continued. “ Mister Viktor Krum arrived shortly after and remained with Miss Potter to secure the rescue of all the hostages.”

This time, Hermy-own and the red-haired boy looked at him. Hermy-own was smiling knowingly. The red-haired boy gazed at him with grudging respect.

“ Mister Krum had already rescued Miss Granger but he returned to assist Miss Potter. It was due to this that they were both delayed and well outside the time limit,” Bagman continued. “ However, upon review, most of the judges feel that this shows moral fiber. We award both Mister Krum and Miss Potter forty-five points.”

Viktor's heart leapt. They were both tied in second place.

Harri looked like she could hardly believe what she heard.

They wouldn't have to worry about anything until June.

But after June came the summer and Viktor was already planning to ask Harri to visit him in Bulgaria whether or not either of them won the tournament. He had tentatively asked his parents in their last letter if they would be all right with it but they wrote back that they would be delighted to have any friend over, even if his mother had wrote the word “friend” up to interpretation.

He tried to get Harri's attention again, hoping to pull her away and escape from everyone for a brief moment for just the two of them, but Hermy-own and the red-haired boy were hugging Harri and clapping her on the back and Harri was laughing.

Viktor supposed he could wait a little bit longer to ask.

~.~.~

The lull between the second and third tasks unfortunately was not as peaceful as Viktor had hoped.

Rita Skeeter wrote an unflattering piece on him, Harri and Hermy-own, saying it was a tragic love triangle of betrayal and romance, embellishing the events of the second task. She even twisted the narrative, claiming that Hermy-own was supposedly the thing he would miss the most, yet here he was after the task, inviting Harri to visit him over the summer and how he told her that he never felt that way about any other girl before.

The article eagerly implied Hermy-own was ambitiously trying to steal her best friend's crush and worm her way into his affections and that Harri had terrible judgment when it came to choosing friends. Meanwhile Viktor was portrayed as an oblivious, air-headed boy who couldn't choose between two girls.

While trying to figure out how on earth the reporter listened in on his and Harri's private conversation, Viktor was busy fending off mail from disappointed fans that he was taken, along with questions from his concerned Quidditch teammates who wanted to know if any of it was actually true (one teammate offered to find this Rita Skeeter and hex her for the slander; Viktor politely declined, he didn't want more trouble), while also dodging multiple girls at the school who demanded to have an audience with him to prove they were far better suited for him than either mentioned girl.

Meanwhile Harri and Hermy-own had their own troubles. Despite vocally explaining many times that the article was highly exaggerating things and Hermy-own would never do that to Harri, they both received several contemptuous letters the last few days. Some scathingly asked if they were trying to fan their own egos and become famous by stealing a popular Quidditch player. A few Howlers burst into horrid shrieks and their insults lingered long in the Great Hall afterwards.

Viktor was frowning as he visited Harri in the hospital wing one day who was nursing swollen blistering fingers from her last mail that was coated in undiluted bubotuber pus. Hermy-own was sitting next to her, looking just as miserable and wincing at the painful fish-like scales that erupted all the way up to her elbows. One letter she opened contained a spiteful curse.

He was telling them his own experiences with hate mail and how one time a letter exploded in his hands and singed his eyebrows and hair just before he had an interview with the Daily Prophet when Ron Veasley entered the hospital wing with a dark scowl on his face.

Viktor thought it was because he was here and was wondering if he should leave but Harri quickly explained that Ron Veasley got detention after he hexed Malfoy for saying Harri and Hermy-own must have slipped Viktor a love potion and they were taking turns sharing him.

Viktor was never friendly with the Malfoy boy despite sitting at the same table with him the last few months, but there was an explicable fury at his taunts towards the two girls whom he had much respect for.

“ I know curses,” Viktor thoughtfully said. He gave a meaningful look at Ron. “ School teach many.”

Ron Veasley eyed him suspiciously. Viktor knew he thought Viktor was trying to sabotage Harri in some way during the tournament or his intentions with her were less than chaste.

He could hardly blame the boy though, who was deemed the thing Harri would miss the most. His determination to get Harri through the tournament alive and well was admirable and Viktor wondered not for the first time what it would be like to have a friend as Ron Veasley.

“ Do you know one to turn Malfoy's face inside out?” Ron Veasley finally asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

Harri and Hermy-own exchanged amused looks.

~.~.~

Viktor was already with his parents by the time Harri arrived for the champions' family gathering.

A red-haired woman and a tall young man with matching red hair, so similar to Ron Veasley, along with a thin sandy-haired man and a large black dog, were beaming once they caught her eye.

The dog in particular bound towards her and reared up on his hind legs and began licking Harri's face, causing her to giggle.

“ Snuffles! How are you here? Is it – is he all right to be here?”

She shot the sandy-haired man a slightly worried look but he was smiling. “ We discussed it with Dumbledore already. He sees no harm in having family come support you.”

The dog happily barked and Harri laughed, enveloping the dog in an tight embrace.

“ I'm happy you could make it,” she murmured and the dog woofed solemnly in agreement, resting his head on her shoulder in a surprisingly human manner.

He did not wish to intrude on the family moment but his mother cleared her throat. “ Viktor, where are your manners?” she sternly said in Bulgarian. “ Why have you not introduced us already?”

“ Introduce us? Right now?”

His father grinned at the slight hitch in Viktor's voice. “ It would be good to meet the girl who we heard about for months now. Come then,” he said as he led them towards Harri, ignoring Viktor's panic.

The red-haired woman and young man were surprised to see them coming but the sandy-haired man glanced questioningly at Harri who suddenly looked as alarmed as Viktor felt.

The black dog sat up very straight and his eyes narrowed as he edged closer to Harri, curling his tail around her ankles.

“ Hello Viktor. Hello Mr and Mrs Krum,” Harri politely managed to say, at least not forgetting her manners. “ This is Mrs Weasley and her son Bill. And this is Remus and our dog Snuffles.”

Her unspoken _this is my family_ made Viktor appreciate them more. Harri had told him before she lived with some relatives during the summer but when she spoke of family, she spoke warmly of the Veasley family and of two of her father's old friends, one whom must be this Remus, who were the ones to look after her and care for her.

Viktor absently wondered where the other friend was.

His father gave a friendly greeting but it was his mother who stepped towards Harri who was looking more apprehensive by the second. “ So this is English Rose,” his mother said, casting a critical eye on her.

Viktor turned red. “ Mother!”

“ Er, my name isn't Rose,” Harri replied, glancing nervously at him.

“ Ahh, misunderstanding.” His mother waved a casual hand. “I am meaning pretty flower. English Rose he has meet when he writes me. My son calls you pretty flower.” His mother was smiling, eyes twinkling. “ Pretty, I see now.”

It was Harri's turn to blush.

Viktor's father and Remus appeared to be the only people who looked amused. Mrs Veasley's eyebrows shot above her hairline. Bill's expression was stormy like he wanted to demand what exactly was the nature of Viktor and Harri's relationship, very reminiscent of his younger brother. The black dog appeared to agree with Bill and began growling at him.

Viktor wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Or at least the third task to start now instead of the evening.

~.~.~

Viktor did not remember much of the third task.

He remembered heading down one darkened path close to the edge of the maze after he and Harri had split off, the image of Harri grinning and wishing him luck still in his mind when suddenly, he was swept away in the most wonderful peaceful feeling.

He vaguely heard someone tell him to find the champions and stop them by any necessary means from reaching the cup. Their only request was to leave Harriet Potter be.

It was fine, he idly thought.

As long as it wasn't Harriet Potter.

He eventually found a boy who began yelling at him, but he was just an obstacle to get rid of for Harriet Potter. He cared very little for the pained screams of the boy.

Then, next thing he knew he was lying on the ground, Harri was rolling him over and Cedric Diggory was furiously pointing a wand at him.

They were saying things Viktor couldn't hear and didn't comprehend. Harri looked anxious and frightened and Cedric agitated.

Did something happen?

There was a flash of red sparks somewhere above him and Harri and Cedric Diggory were soon replaced with his worried parents leaning over him as Viktor realized he was in the first aid tent.

Headmaster Dumbledore came in too and there was no cheerful twinkle in his eyes today as he asked Viktor what had happened. Blinking back a painfully growing headache, he tried to explain what happened. He repeated the words that still lingered at the edge of his mind.

_Find the other champions and stop them from taking the Triwizard Cup by any means. Leave Harriet Potter alone._

Dumbledore's expression was frightfully blank. His mother bit back a gasp and his father was frowning in worry.

Viktor tried not to shiver at the implications of such a command.

“ Are – are others fine?” Viktor managed to ask, throat dry. “ Did I hurt – ?”

“ Miss Delacour appears to be have been Stunned but she was revived promptly,” Dumbledore calmly said. “ Miss Potter and Mister Diggory have not yet returned.”

Deputy Headmistress McGonagall then appeared. She whispered something to Dumbledore's ear but Viktor was able to catch, “ Karkaroff ... gone missing ... should we ...?”

There was a flash of something in Dumbledore's eyes, but he murmured a reply and stood up, politely telling him to rest for now and Madam Pomfrey will be in shortly with some potions to help him shake off the last of the Imperius Curse.

His parents wanted him to stay at the first aid tent but Viktor wanted to be there when Harri and Cedric Diggory exited the maze as the champions of the Triwizard Tournament. He owed them both an apology for what he had done.

But he wouldn't get that chance.

When the triumphant band music blared out as Harri and Cedric Diggory collapsed in a heap at the maze's exit, amidst the applauding cheers of the crowd, a prickle of dread filled Viktor's stomach as he realized something was wrong.

Dumbledore was running towards them, a flicker of fear on his face.

Fleur Delacour screamed in horror.

A boy laid dead at their feet.

Harri was sobbing, desperately clinging to his body.

Mr Diggory's wailing echoed in all their ears.

Everything happened so quickly that Viktor did not realize his parents ushered him out of the tent, their faces as distressed and ill as his and like every other spectator who had left as well.

“ Wait, what about Harri?” he asked them, slipping into his native tongue. “ We should check if she is all right. She just saw – And she is hurt. There was blood on the grass. Someone should be there for her.”

He was probably the last person she wanted to see after what happened.

But his parents understood and they directed him to lead them to the school's hospital wing where Harri must be at.

Mrs Veasley, and Bill were already there, restlessly pacing. Ron and Hermy-own were likewise frantic with worry.

His stomach dropped.

Bill noticed him first. “ You haven't seen Harri either?” he asked, somewhat sympathetically when he saw his stricken expression.

Viktor shook his head.

“ No one is telling us anything,” Ron gritted out. “ Remus and – and Snuffles suddenly left. Who knows where they went. Just what is going on?”

He kicked at one of the empty beds in frustration. Mrs Veasley laid a hand on her son's arm.

Minutes crawled by like hours and after what felt like days, Viktor finally saw Dumbledore, Remus and Snuffles entering the hospital wing.

And right in the middle, as if they had formed a protective circle around her, was Harri.

“ Harri! Oh Harri!”

Mrs Veasley jumped to her feet first. Followed by Ron and Hermy-own.

Dumbledore stopped them and spoke calmly and clearly that Harri needed rest and peace and no questions until another time.

They all nodded even as Mrs Veasley hissed at the rest of the group to be quiet and not bother Harri.

Harri was pale and small in the bed, fiddling with the sleeping gown that was given to her. There was fresh new round of ugly cuts and bruises over her face and arms. No one spoke, the medical wing was oddly quiet, the silence occasionally broken with the sounds of Madam Pomfrey preparing the sleeping potion.

Their eyes met.

He instinctively flinched, waiting for her condemnation and demands for him to leave and get out of her sight.

But instead –

“ You all right, Viktor?”

Harri was looking at him with concern.

She was the one who saw Cedric get killed. She was the one who looked like she was almost killed herself. And here she was, asking if he was all right.

His chest squeezed that such a kind-hearted girl had went through this and still had the compassion and kindness to think about someone else's well-being instead.

How could anyone ever think she was cruel, daft and arrogant?

“ I am vell,” Viktor said out loud instead. He wanted to step next to her at the bed but both sides were currently occupied by Mrs Veasley, Bill and Remus on one side and Ron and Hermy-own on the other. Snuffles was currently draped over Harri's legs, curling his body underneath her arm.

So that left him to stand at the foot of the bed. “ And you?” he asked.

It might have been a trick of the light but Harri's eyes appeared to be rather bright and and glassy. “ I'm all right,” she said quietly. She tried to smile but it came out flat. “ Just tired.”

Mrs Veasley was unnecessarily smoothing out the non-existent creases of Harri's bed sheets. Remus's expression was filled with sorrow as he occupied himself with cleaning the grime off from Harri's glasses. Snuffles's head rested over Harri's lap, letting out a soft woof.

It was a lie and they all knew it.

No one wanted to say otherwise.

~.~.~

The next few days went by like a blur.

Viktor spoke briefly with Mr and Mrs Diggory, both who still seemed to be in a daze and shrouded in grief. He apologized for what he did to Cedric while in the maze but they shook their heads and said Dumbledore had explained to them what actually happened.

“ You were Imperiused,” Mrs Diggory said tearfully. “ You didn't know what you were doing. Older wizards couldn't throw it off, no matter how hard they tried. I'm sure it was the same for you too.”

It did not make Viktor feel any better.

Fleur Delacour said the same thing when he spoke to her next, ignoring the mistrustful glares of her classmates who stood off at the side to give them the illusion of privacy.

“ It is nothing,” she dismissively said. “ It was not you 'oo shot ze Stunning Spell at me. Zey say zhat man meet with a Dementer. The one 'oo hurt all of us. Pity for zem.”

There was a hard, cold gleam in Fleur's eyes when she said _us_ and Viktor sincerely hoped he would never end up on her bad side.

But the one Viktor really wanted to talk to was hard to find.

Dumbledore had made the announcement the day before Harri was to leave the hospital wing, requesting that everyone respect her privacy and not ask her any questions or demand that she tell the story of what happened that night.

It unfortunately had the effect of people avoiding Harri like she carried the plague and whispering incessantly about her when they thought she was out of earshot.

Harri in turn spent most of time either in the Gryffindor tower or visiting her gamekeeper friend, withdrawing from crowds of any kind and choosing not to eat at the Great Hall. Ron and Hermy-own doubled their efforts to remain by her side and anyone who dared encroach Harri's space with ill intention was promptly chased off.

Harri had not sought him out and he left her be, painfully wondering if this was the end of whatever they had.

The Leaving Feast was solemn after Dumbledore's toast to Cedric Diggory. His talk of unity seemed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth and Viktor did not feel like eating.

The Beauxbaton students were frowning at the real Mad-Eye Moody as if he would attack Fleur again any moment, as well as the other Hogwarts staff if they were Death Eaters in disguise too. The Hogwarts students, especially the Hufflepuff ones, looked haunted. Some glared openly at the Durmstrang alumni as if it was their fault.

His own classmates said nothing. Karkaroff was nowhere to be found.

The atmosphere was so suffocating Viktor had half a mind to leave without eating and return to his sleeping quarters.

But just before he could come to a decision, from across the hall, both he and Harri happened to look up at the same time. Harri caught Viktor's eye and to his immense relief, she gave him a little smile and a shy wave.

And just like before in the owlery those many months ago, it was the opening he had been hoping for all this time.

Viktor stood and made his way to the Gryffindor table, head held high, calm and collected, his gaze only focused at Harri.

He could have sworn he saw Dumbledore shooting him a wink as he passed the staff table.

Harri was watching him with a bemused expression. To Viktor's relief, neither Ron or Hermy-own attempted to hex him once he reached their table.

“ May I sit here?” he asked.

“ You know you're going to make people talk,” Harri said. But the quiet delight in her eyes spoke volumes as she scooted over to make room for him. “ Rita Skeeter will have a field day.”

What was a field day, Viktor didn't know. “ Let that voman say vat she vants,” he firmly said, sitting next to Harri and pointedly ignoring the stares from others at the Gryffindor table and from every other table, including from his own classmates.

Ron had just handed him a plate and Hermy-own was passing him the potatoes when Fleur Delacour appeared behind them holding a plate of her own.

“ You must tell me 'ore about 'or brother,” she said as a greeting, promptly sliding next to Ron and serenely taking no notice the now growing whispers and astonished stares. “ I think iz name is Bill? The tall one with long 'air?”

“ What brother?” Ron said stupidly.

Hermy-own rolled her eyes.

Harri snorted.

Conversation between them continued smoothly, as if it was normal to have the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang champions sit next to the remaining Hogwarts champion all the time. Fleur animatedly chattered about getting a job here to improve her English. Viktor talked about his home and how he missed the nearby mountains he used to fly over. Ron soon became engrossed in a Quidditch team debate with Viktor and Harri. Hermy-own was reminiscing about her trip with her parents to France and she and Fleur talked about which cities they'd been to and their favourites places to see.

This was something that should have happened sooner.

This was something that should have happened when Cedric was still alive.

But it was a start.

Harri was smiling and she was looking healthier and much better than when he last saw her up close in the hospital wing. Some of the cuts had yet to fully heal. Not all wounds were only skin-deep. He knew things would take time.

He would be happy to help her get through it.

(and if no one noticed that Viktor and Harri happened to be holding hands underneath the table all this time, that was fine with him too)


End file.
